Trunks of All Ages
by Mikila
Summary: A year after the Buu saga, Vegeta decides to travel back to when Trunks was 4 to improve their relationship. But 9 yr old Trunks has snuck along. Then a 14 yr old Trunks shows up and a monster follows, forcing them to retrieve BABY Trunks. Also humor.
1. Default Chapter

TRUNKS OF ALL AGES  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ, story not for profit  
  
Warning: I can't remember exactly what's in this story, but generally I pretend that Trunks can't go Super Sayain 2 and 3. (even though this is set a year after the Buu sage...) now you've been warned, just in case...  
  
Note: I've got this story probably 2/3 or 3/4 done, but I'm only posting one chapter for now. The computer likes me better when I take it slow. I'll post another chapter every few hours maybe until I've got everything that's done so far up. Enjoy!  
  
  
  
  
Vegeta packed up a few of his things wondering what he was thinking as his body seemed to be controlling his actions. He knew he wanted to visit himself five years earlier when his son was only four instead of nine. Maybe he could straighten himself out just enough to makes Trunks' future life a touch easier. He'd been rather edgy lately and Vegeta sensed that it was largely his own fault. He only wanted to taint things just whatever slight amount it might take for the outcome to be a little better. If he'd only shown Trunks a little more attention when he was younger, and been a little less arrogant when his son was watching, perhaps Trunks wouldn't be so contrary now. Beyond that even, Vegeta was being ripped with guilt for not holding his son until he was eight. Except when he was a baby, but that didn't really count. It would be a lot easier if he just had a few memories of holding him prior to that age. Now that he was nine and not used to being held, it was hard to show him any affection.  
  
  
Trunks slowly peered into his father's room, cautious not to be seen if at all possible. What was he doing? Why was he packing a bag? Hmm. Maybe he should pack a quick bag too...just in case. Trunks hated to be left out of anything. Surely his father wouldn't go somewhere without him. Or without at least telling him. Quickly Trunks ran to his room and threw a few things in a bag, then he slinked back to the door to watch his father. He was just finishing up.  
  
  
Quickly Trunks removed his face from sight as his Dad turned in his direction.  
  
  
"What is it, son?" Vegeta demanded.  
  
  
Trunks debated for a second. Had he really been seen or was his father bluffing? He better not reply.  
  
  
  
  
Vegeta sighed. "Get back to your chores...now."  
  
  
Trunks stepped into view and looked at the suitcase in his father's hand. "Are you going somewhere Dad?"  
  
  
"No, now get back to work."  
  
  
"Then why do you have a suitcase?" Trunks asked.  
  
  
"None of your business!" Vegeta was loosing patience.  
  
  
Trunks eyes widened slightly and a look of hurt crossed his face.  
  
  
"What is that?" Vegeta noticed the bag next to his son.  
  
  
"Oh...I...I thought maybe we were going somewhere so I packed it just in case."  
  
  
Vegeta frowned. His heart felt heavy all of a sudden. "Look, I'm going on a quick trip and you can't come along. But don't worry about anything, you won't even know I'm gone. I promise."  
  
  
Trunks frowned, looking away. It was obvious Vegeta's promises meant little to him.  
  
  
"Enough of that. Get to work," Vegeta touseled his hair as he walked by. Trunks pulled away from it and scowled. "Take that bag back in your room and put your stuff away."  
  
  
Muttering Trunks grabbed the bag and began as his father had instructed. Then he stopped, thinking. He wanted to go with his father and there really wasn't any more to it. Instead of putting his bag back, Trunks listened to his father's energy and followed it, leaving enough distance that he wouldn't be seen.  
  
  
Vegeta stepped into the time capsule and put his suit case in one of the three rooms on board the ship. Trunks knew this was his chance. Quickly he slinked into one of the other rooms and hid. Moving back into the main room, Vegeta set the time he wanted to go back to and push the ingition button.  
  
  
Trunks felt a jolt as the capsule began moving through time. This was certainly one of the strangest feelings he'd ever had. It reminded him of the hyperbolic time chamber. The capsule shook a little bit and then it was all over. Now what? Trunks listened to his father's energy and when it was in one of the rooms, Trunks tiptoed out to find he was standing right in front of his own house. Things looked familiar, but   
different from how they'd been left. Ignoring the strange feeling he had, Trunks walked right inside and stood, almost paralysed to see a small child playing with some toys in the middle of his living room. He looked just like him, only he couldn't be but 4 years old!  
  
  
The child looked up, his blue eyes growing as wide as saucers.  
  
  
"What are you?" Trunks asked, almost horrified.  
  
  
"Mommy!" the four year old screamed. "What are you doing in my house! Get out! Mommy!"  
  
  
"Trunks, what is it, sweety?" Bulma rushed into the room, alarmed, and grabbed the child into her arms.  
  
  
"That kid just walked in here!" the little Trunks pointed.  
  
  
Trunks stood, horrified, as he looked at the woman holding the child. She looked just like his mother had looked when he was young.  
  
  
Vegeta popped inside the door and stood, his mouth hanging open as he surveyed the scene. Trunks turned and looked at him. "What is going on?!"  
  
  
"Trunks! What are you doing here?! I told you to do your chores! Get outside and sit on the front step!" Vegeta ordered.  
  
  
"But I didn't do anything!" Trunks complained.  
  
  
"Go!" Vegeta harshly pointed.  
  
  
Trunks scowled and folded his arms, storming outside, muttering. He rested his face on his hands and his elbows on his knees as he sat on the front step. "Why do I always get yelled at. I wasn't the one that screamed. That stupid little kid did..."  
  
  
"What is going on?" the Bulma holding the four year old asked. "Are you another bunch from the future?"  
  
  
"You could say that," Vegeta's voice was low. "I came here to talk to myself...I mean myself from this time."  
  
  
"Oh. Well I'm sure you know where you're at then," Bulma rolled her eyes.   
"Tell me. In the future do you ever do anything but train? Or do I have that to look forward to for the rest of my life?" she rested her hand on her hip, letting Trunks fall to the floor.  
  
  
"That guy looks a lot like daddy," Trunks suspiciously stared.  
  
  
"Yes, Trunks, that's what your daddy will look like in the future."  
  
  
"What?" Trunks wasn't sure what to think. "Like Back to The Future?" his eyes widened.   
  
  
"Something like that, yes."  
  
  
"Then who's that kid outside?"  
  
  
"That you when you're...uh...how old?" Bulma looked to Vegeta.  
  
  
"Nine. Just turned."  
  
  
"That's you when you're nine."  
  
  
"Cool!" Trunks clenched his fists.  
  
  
Vegeta recognised that familiar look of excitement and mischief on his face. It was uncanny.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Sorry it might be a little confusing between the two Trunks, but I'm pretty sure it'll get easier. I think I just cal the younger one four year old and the older on nine year old later on. Anyway, I'll be posting the next chapter in a few hours! It's currently about 10pm, Pacific Time. 


	2. Teenaged Trunks?

Note: It looks like in this story I've got 9 yr old Trunks able to go Super Sayain 2 and Vegeta super 3. I don't know if he can or not, but he can in my sotry. Also, pay close attention when reading. It might get confusing between the two Vegetas in this chapter. Sorry about that.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Trunks looked up as another capsule appeared out of nowhere landing right next to the one his father and he had come in. His eyes widened with curiousity and even more when a young teenager stepped out. A boy that looked just like him, but older. This was too much! First he runs into a little kid that looks just like him, and now a big kid? How many look alikes could one person have?  
  
  
The teenage boy looked around, his eyes widening when he noticed Trunks staring at him half in shock. "Oh no! This isn't right! I went too far back," the boy stomped a foot and sighed crossing his arms and shaking his head.  
  
  
"What are you?!" Trunks demanded.  
  
  
"I'm you...in the future," the teenager answered.  
  
  
"You're not me!" Trunks was indignant as he crossed his arms and put all his   
weight on one foot.  
  
  
"Sorry, squirt, but I am. How old are you?"  
  
  
"None of your business! And don't call me squirt or I'll blast you into next week!" Trunks warned.  
  
  
"Blast me into 13. That's the age I was trying to go back to. Have you fought Majin Buu yet?"  
  
  
"Are you completely stupid or just totally insane?" Trunks was rather perplexed by this teenager.  
  
  
"You must be about 9. That's right in the middle of my brat years and you're sure acting like that age."  
  
  
"Dude. I'm not the dilusional one here," Trunks walked inside the house and locked the door behind him. "Freak," he muttered, turning to notice Vegeta, early Bulma, and the little kid all staring at him. "Dad, there's some fruitcake out there that thinks he's me."  
  
  
"So...," the four year old Trunks began walking around his older version, studying. "That's what I look like when I'm nine, huh?"  
  
  
Trunks raised one eyebrow. "Go pester someone your own age."  
  
  
Scowling, the younger Trunks clenched his fists and kicked him in the shin, then stuck out his tongue.  
  
  
"Ow!" Trunks grabbed his leg and hopped on one foot. "You little brat!" he formed a low blast and slammed the child to to floor.  
  
  
"Ow! Mommy!" the younger Trunks began crying.  
  
  
"Trunks!" Vegeta grabbed his current son by the arm.  
  
  
"What? He started it!" Trunks defended himself.  
  
  
Everyone turned as the teenager walked into the house, his eyes widening as he looked from one to the other of everyone in the room and they did the same with him. "Ok...now this isn't possible...I better sit down," the teenager made his way to the couch   
and sat.  
  
  
"Oh my goodness!" Bulma looked over the oldest of the three Trunks. "How old are you?"  
  
  
"Fourteen."  
  
  
"And what brings YOU here?"  
  
  
"Some big accident. Ok. This is completely weird. Where am I? I meant to go back to when I was thirteen to keep Dad from dying, but somehow I ended up here, but here doesn't make any sense. How can there be two completely different mes and one parent from two time frames all here at the same time?"  
  
  
"These two just showed up here," Bulma explained. "I don't know anything more than that..."  
  
  
"What do you mean keep me from dying?" Vegeta stepped in.  
  
  
"You were killed last year in my timeline by this monster that's been ravishing the planet and I was trying to go back to before that happened and prevent it. I must have somehow pressed the wrong dates though," Trunks scratched his head trying to figure how it had happened that way.  
  
  
"I'm here to talk to the Vegeta of this time frame. You've come back to when you were four and just happened to catch us in the act too. Somebody wasn't supposed to be here though," Vegeta scolwed at his child.  
  
  
The older boy looked at Trunks, then to Vegeta with a small glare. "Doubtlessly. That was the age alright," he muttered.  
  
  
"Look, this is all a big mistakes. Trunks," Vegeta turned first to the son of his own time. "go back in the ship we came in and wait there. You," he looked to the older one, "go back to your ship and enter in the time you were trying to get to, and I will have my talk with the Vegeta of this time. That oughta fix this whole thing."  
  
  
"What is all the commotion out here?" Vegeta walked in the room, wiping the sweat from his face. He paused, looking around the room to see another Vegeta and two more older Trunks he wasn't familiar with. "Well, obviously I've missed something here."  
  
  
"Yes, you have," Vegeta frowned, "and I don't intend on going over it again."  
  
  
"Daddy, that's me," four year old Trunks pointed. "And that's me too. That one's cool... That one's mean, blow him up!" he pointed at the younger Trunks.  
  
  
"Hush, brat!" past Vegeta narrowed his eyes.  
  
  
Immediately the young child was quite, tensing up slightly.  
  
  
Nine year old Trunks crossed his arms with a smirk. "I forgot how mean you used to be."  
  
  
"Excuse me, did I just hear that come out of YOU?" past Vegeta's eyes widened as he started at the nervy nine year old.  
  
  
The younger Trunks hid behind his mother's legs. "Wasn't me, Daddy!"  
  
  
Trunks let out an arrogant laugh. "If I wanted to, I could go super sayain 2 right now and beat you up."  
  
  
"Why you arrogant self-righteous little...!" all Vegeta's features hardened.  
  
  
"Hey!" Vegeta stepped in front of his child. "Cool it!" he then turned to the boy. "You get back in the time capsule right now before I turn 3 and blow your butt to kingdom come!"  
  
  
Trunks took a step back. He was ten times as strong as his past father, but his current one still had the advantage on him by far.  
  
  
"Get moving!"  
  
  
Trunks turned and left the house as his father had directed.  
  
  
"Vegeta!" Bulma's eyes widened. "How could you treat our son that way?! I hoped you would mellow with age..."  
  
  
"Don't even start, you haven't dealt with him at this age. Too much of me has   
rubbed off on him. He's arrogant and pays attention to nothing but superior strength. That's partly what I'm here to correct."  
  
  
"What IS there but superior strength anyway?" past Vegeta crossed his arms with a smirk.  
  
  
"I wouldn't talk if were you..."  
  
  
"But you ARE me," past Vegeta smirked further.  
  
  
"The point is he's right. He could take you out in nothing flat. He'll have no respect for you, father or not of any time period, because he's got our same selfish arrogance. And even more so because I wasted so much time--the time you're at right now--spending no more time with him than training to make him better that Kakarot's children. And now that I've finally reached the point of realization...the realization that there is no winning where Kakarot is concerned...the realization that he will always be a step ahead...Trunks has taken the fall for that."  
  
  
"It gets better," teenage Trunks interupted.  
  
  
Both Vegetas looked at him.  
  
  
"After the bad years...it gets a little bit better. I mean...nothing could really make up for everything, but..."  
  
  
Vegeta turned just in time to be knocked backward by his nine year child as the front door was shattered by him. Trunks squinted his eyes and clenched his teeth, shaking just slightly. He'd been taken off guard by the blast of the monster outside. Somewhat startled, Vegeta looked from the child against his belly to the monster at the doorway that had done it.  
  
  
A huge violet colored blob with two cat-like eyes and about six arms stood, mouth open and dripping slime. Quickly one of its tenticles shot out and grabbed the four year old child out of Bulma's arms. Bulma screamed, but before she could do anything the monster spit a blue blob onto her chest and she turned into a giant block of ice. The past Vegeta lunged at the creature, but was spit upon also.  
  
  
Quickly Vegeta wrapped an arm around his child and jumped out of the way as another blue blob was shot. Immediately he formed a blast and shot the monster outside   
the house.  
  
  
"Here," he shoved his nine year old child into the arms of the fourteen year old and powered up, bolting out the door after the youngest of the three, still in the arms of the monster. Firing a destructo disk, he chopped the arm off the monster and caught the youngest Trunks.  
  
  
Trunks eyes were wide and his body tense and stunned.  
  
  
"Don't worry, I'll take care of this," nine year old Trunks flew out of the house in supersayain 2 form.  
  
  
"Trunks, no!" Vegeta thrust out a hand and caught the child by the ankle, holding him back.  
  
  
"Trunks will die. ...kill the baby," the monster slid into the time capsule teenaged Trunks had come in.  
  
  
Before Vegeta could do anything more the capsule had vanished.  
  
  
"Oh no, he must have crawled inside when I wasn't looking!" teenage Trunks rushed outside to see his capsule gone. "Where'd it go?" he was alarmed.  
  
  
"What is that thing?" Vegeta turned his attention to the oldest child.  
  
  
"That's the monster that killed you."  
  
  
"But that thing isn't stronger than I am!"  
  
  
"Not in the future, no, but right now he is. It was me he wanted to kill. He killed you in your sleep when you were defenseless."  
  
  
Vegeta's eyes widened. "Everyone get in the time capsule, now!" Vegeta hurried inside and quickly set the date for when Trunks was eight months old.  
  
  
"Dad, what's going on?" the nine year stood by his side.  
  
  
"Go in the back room, and take mini-you along," Vegeta pried the youngest child's hands away from his neck, setting him on the floor. "Now!"  
  
  
"We have to find him...," teenage Trunks started.  
  
  
"He's gone to kill you as a baby," Vegeta glanced at him shortly as he pressed the   
ignition button.  
  
  
"What?" Trunks widened his eyes.  
  
  
"If he succeeds none of you will ever exist."  
  
  
  
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
I'll Post one more chapter @ 2am PT, and the rest I'll be posting some time tomorrow. Thanks for reading! 


	3. Vegeta in a New Light

Warning: This chapter is rather sappy. Just so you know. Oh yes, and the teenage Trunks can go super 3. He's about the same level as the Vegeta of 9 yr old's time.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Nine year old Trunks stood with his ear against the back door, trying to hear what was going on in the main room while his younger counterpart sat in the corner with his knees at his chest, wide-eyed.  
  
  
"Darnit! I never get included in the fun stuff. What's going on out there?" he looked to the younger child, feeling a little bit bad for him and a bit angry at the same time. "Hey, snap out of it."  
  
  
The younger Trunks looked up at him but said nothing.  
  
  
"Come on, it's not like anything happened. You aren't hurt are you?"  
  
  
A few tears sprung to the child's eyes. "That thing froze my mommy..."  
  
  
"Aw, don't worry about that. Our Dad wont let anything bad happen. She'll be ok, you'll see."  
  
  
"I don't like it here."  
  
  
"I'm sure it wont be for long. Do you like games? I think there's some games in that cubboard over there."  
  
  
Trunks thought about it for a second. "Maybe..."  
  
  
"Go on, play a game. You'll feel better and then you'll be back with Mom and Dad of your time.  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
"Stay here and watch the other two," Vegeta instructed his oldest son version. "I'll be back in just a moment."  
  
  
Trunks nodded and retreated to the back room.  
  
  
Vegeta powered up to his highest and bounded out of the capsule and into the house. The monster's capsule had already arived.  
  
  
"You are not touching this baby!" the Vegeta in the house flung himself at the monster, but was quickly turned to ice.  
  
  
Vegeta let out a roar and sliced the monster, grabbing the screaming baby from Bulma's frozen arms and bounding back into the space capsule before the monster could regenerate itself. "Trunks...uh...the teenager! Take the baby!" he demanded.  
  
  
"Dad, what's going on?" nine year old asked.  
  
  
"Stay put!" Vegeta bounded back out of the capsule  
  
  
"Wait, you won't be able to beat him on your own...," the teenager tried to call, but Vegeta was already gone.  
  
  
"Let me help, I can beat him!" nine year old started toward the door.  
  
  
"No!" he was grabbed by the teenager. "You stay here and look after this one," he shoved the screaming baby into his arms and bounded out of the capsule, powering straight up to 3.  
  
  
"I don't know what to do with a baby!" Trunks was in shock.  
  
  
  
  
The four year old stood off to the side, wide-eyed as he watched the goings-on in front of him.  
  
  
"This is rediculous!" Trunks set the baby on the bed and powered up. "Make sure he doesn't fall off."  
  
  
Vegeta was startled as a blast of energy from behind flew past him and slammed into the monster. "Trunks! I told you to take care of the baby!"  
  
  
"You can't beat this guy on your own! You're not strong enough yet!"  
  
  
"Time to die, slime head!" nine year old flung himself at the creature, but was quickly knocked back by a powerful blast.  
  
  
"Trunks!" Vegeta watched as the boy was slung off into the distance somewhere.  
  
  
Both him and the teenager threw an onslaught of blasts at the monster until he   
was finally blown to bits.  
  
  
"Get back inside!" Vegeta's scowl was deep as he order the older boy,   
immediately dashing to the other child. It was rather confusing now that there were four of the same ki. Only one of them was in the distance though, and it was even weaker than the baby's in its strength.  
  
  
He was quite a ways off, but Vegeta was quick to find him. The boy had been knocked out and lay scuffed up in the dirt. Vegeta's heart skipped a beat and he felt heavy. None of this was playing out as he'd intended. Cradling the child in his arms, he flew back to the capsule, unsure of what to do next. The monster had been killed, but now he would have to figure out how to unfreeze the frozen parents before he could return everyone to where they needed to be.  
  
  
Teenage Trunks pased, bouncing the screaming baby slightly. "Oh, thank goodness! I don't know what to do with babies. Is there anything that makes them stop?"  
  
  
"Every baby is different," Vegeta's voice was tired as he shifted his load to one arm, leting Trunks head rest on his shoulder. He formed three small balls of colored energy and made them rotate above the baby's head. Suddenly the tiny Trunks looked up through his tears and was quickly mesmorized by the balls of energy.  
  
  
Teenage Trunks' mouth dropped open, amazed by Vegeta's accomplishment. "Wow! How'd you know that would work?"  
  
  
Vegeta gave him a short glare then walked past into the back room where the four year old child lay sleeping on one of the two twin beds. He laid his nine year old in the other bed and brushed the hair out of his face. The fourteen year old stood at the door, watching.  
  
  
"Boy. I wish I'd seen this kind of stuff earlier. Maybe those bad years wouldn't have been so bad," Trunks muttered. By now even the baby had been lulled to sleep.  
  
  
Vegeta turned and took the sleeping child, moving into the next room over. Fluffing a few pillows and arranging some blankets, he placed him in a make-shift bed he'd have difficulty rolling out of, then he went back into the other room and arranged pillows on the floors next to the two beds the four and nine year olds shared.  
  
  
  
"...I always thought it was mom that did that," teenage Trunks followed Vegeta into the kitchen/dinging area.  
  
  
Vegeta smirked. "I suppose there are a lot of things you never knew I did," he pulled some food out of the refridgerator and set it on the table. "Eat something. You must be famished by now."  
  
  
Trunks watched him curiously. He knew his father cared about him. He'd observed it in the last couple years he'd spent with his father, but never the way he was seeing it now. He always thought it wasn't there before he was older. Now he was beginning to realise it had always been there. He'd just never seen it. His father had hidden it.  
  
  
"Excuse me," Vegeta went into his room for a few seconds, then came back out.  
  
  
"What did you do?" Trunks asked.  
  
  
"You have to check on babies. I've heard tale they stop breathing every now and then. Some die that way. This one is a little old for that, I'll admit... But it never hurts to check. And besides. He was cold."  
  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
  
"I know your ki," Vegeta looked at him shortly, then began eating.  
  
  
Trunks nibbled at a bagel, trying to sort what was going on. His father was attentive! More than he'd ever realised! Probably more than his mother had ever known!  
  
  
"I'm going to get some sleep. You can use the room on the far right," Vegeta once again exited. "And eat some of that food before you go."  
  
  
Instead of going straight into his chosen room where the baby was, Vegeta instead   
decided to examine his nine year. This day had been incredibly exhausting. Having four   
versions of his son all at once was more than he could handle. It was very strange. They were all his and he certainly loved all of them. That was what was making him so tired! Loving four all at once! And protecting every one? Even so, though, there was a closer connection with the nine year old. That one he would have to bring back with him. The others were like reminders, but the nine year was his present and his love for that one ran deepest. Why was that when they were all his same son? He felt more possessive. That one was really TRULY his! The others belonged to Vegetas of different times.  
  
  
Vegeta watched his face. There was a bit of distress on it. Then he laid his head on his chest briefly to make sure he was breathing all right. His face was a little bit sweaty and his eyebrows twitching. Placing a hand gently on his cheek, Vegeta closed his eyes and concentrated momentarily on his ki. It was still pretty weak, but it was stronger than before. He was indeed improving.  
  
  
"Hold on, my son, you're going to be fine. You just need rest," Vegeta opened his eyes, then leaned down and gave him a quick kiss on the forehead, turning his attention to the four year old and giving him one as well.  
  
  
Quickly teenage Trunks moved away from the door and into his given room, contemplating what he had just witnessed. It had been done with such ease and practice. This obviously was not the first time he'd done such a thing. If he was so good at it at this point in time...when Trunks had been nine...then he had to have been at it for quite some time before then! That was an entirely new thought to him.  
  
  
  
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
I probably wont be posting any more chaps from this story tonight, but in the morning--well afternoon, I'll have 2 more chapters to post. (After that...well I'm not done with but a few lines past that, but I'll be working on it...That and my other current fiction: "For The Love of A Child") 


	4. PreTrunks Vegeta

Teenage Trunks sauntered into the kitchen early in the morning, looking to grab a quick snack before retreating back to sleep. Afterall, teenagers needed a lot of sleep, didn't they? He was surprised to see Vegeta in there, feeding the baby some mashed up foods.  
  
  
"Kinda early isn't it?" Trunks asked.  
  
  
"Babies wake early. Besides. It's not that early anyway."  
  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes. "It is at my age," he pulled out the milk and began drinking.  
  
  
"Don't drink all of that. The nine year old you is going to need it when he wakes and I'd just as soon have some left for the four year old to."  
  
  
"I take it the baby's had his?"  
  
  
Vegeta raised a full bottle in response.  
  
  
"Oh, I see."  
  
  
"Happy...whatevering."  
  
  
Vegeta rolled his eyes as the teenager stumbled back into the bedroom. Maybe there would be some drawbacks of that age when he reached it with his current Trunks.  
  
  
"Oooohhh," Vegeta's attention turned at the sound of his nine year old sauntering into the room, his eyes squinted mostly closed and one hand rubbing the back of his head.  
  
  
"Serves you right!" Vegeta narrowed his eyes. "Sit down, young man, and I DO mean YOUNG!"  
  
  
"Aw Dad, can't you lecture me later? My head is killing me."  
  
  
"I'll bet," Vegeta shoved a glass of milk at him. "Drink this and eat something, then you're getting cleaned up."  
  
  
"Cleaned up like what? A bath?"  
  
  
"No, I'm going to put ointment on those scratches."  
  
  
"Not that, Dad! It burns!" Trunks whined.  
  
  
"Perhaps you should have thought about that before you diliberately disobeyed me and left this capsule!" Vegeta glared at him. "And as soon as I'm done with the ointment, then you'll get your punishment."  
  
  
"Isn't the ointment bad enough?"  
  
  
"No!"  
  
  
The baby stared at the boy across the table curiously.  
  
  
Trunks glared at him. "What are YOU looking at?"  
  
  
"Hush!" Vegeta snapped. "Eat your breakfast.  
  
  
Trunks shifted his gaze briefly to his father, then began eating. He was still shoveling it down while Vegeta filled the sink and bathed the baby. And when he fished the playpen out of the closet and put him in there to crawl around.  
  
  
"Finished yet?" Vegeta watched as his son slowly forced food in his mouth. He was completely stuffed and just stalling now. Did he really think Vegeta didn't know it?  
  
  
"No..."  
  
  
"Yes you are, now get in the bathroom. I will not have you throwing up for overeating," Vegeta grabbed his arm and shoved him into the room, pulling the ointment out of the cupboard. "Now hold still," he began dabbing the stuff on his hand.  
  
  
"Ooooowww!" Trunks began flinging his other arm around wildly. "It's burning!"  
  
  
"Stop your yelling!" Vegeta grabbed his face and held it still as he put some on the gash on his cheek.  
  
  
Trunks clenched his teeth and squinted his eyes, jerking backward but to no avail. Tears sprang from his eyes though he was trying to hold them back. He bit his lip rather than crying out and only sniffled.  
  
  
"It's your own fault! I tell you things for a reason, you know!" Vegeta wiped his arm off.  
  
  
Trunks let out a short yelp, still squinting his eyes. His entire body was tense.  
  
  
"If you disobey me one more time, your backside is going to be burning a lot worse than this stuff for an entire week. Do you understand me?"  
  
  
Trunks nodded, turning his head away as some more ointment was dabbed on his arm.  
  
  
"As soon as I'm through with this, I want you to go in your room and stay there until I say otherwise. And if you even think about leaving just remember what I said..."  
  
  
It felt like an eternity to Trunks, but in reality, it was only a few more minutes before he was done. The four year old had waken by the time he was back in the room and had managed to pull out half the toys in the room. Trunks quickly wiped his eyes dry and went to the window, trying to hold back the new onslaught of tears threatening to escape.  
  
  
It was dark and rather lonely looking outside. Then there was a series of blasts that erupted in the distance and slammed into some moutains nearby. Trunks forgot all about how much his father hated him and how everything he did was wrong and got him yelled at. He watched as another bunch of blasts erupted, coming a lot closer to the ship this time. Something was going on out there and it was beginning to alarm him. Those blast were getting closer to the ship. What if they hit it? But he couldn't tell his father or he'd get spanked for leaving the room. Hmm... He had to do something, right?  
  
  
"Dad!" Trunks yelled through the door. He pounded on it a few times and called again. "Dad!"  
  
  
"Quiet down in there!" came Vegeta's reply.  
  
  
Trunks was somewhat indignant. Couldn't he be heard just this once? "But Dad, there's a bunch of blasts outside and they're getting closer to the ship!" Trunks waited a few seconds. "Dad?"  
  
  
"I heard you and I'll take care of it! You just sit still and be quiet in there!" Vegeta's reply was rather impatient.  
  
  
Trunks narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists, moving back to the window. He was just trying to help and he STILL got yelled at!  
  
  
"What's going on?" the four year old pushed his way around Trunks' chest.  
  
  
"Hey!" Trunks shoved him over a bit.  
  
  
Both the children stared out the window as another bunch of blasts came yet closer. Trunks eyes widened as he realised one of them was heading straight toward them.  
  
  
"Duck!" he pushed his four year old counterpart away from the window and toward the wall. Both boys crouched in the corner as the blast burst through the spot their window and had been and diagonally across the room and out the opposit corner from the children.  
  
  
Vegeta burst through the door, eyes wide as he quickly scanned the room and   
rested his vision on the boys. Quickly he grabbed the four year old with one arm and his nine year old with the other, carrying them into the kitchen where the teenager was holding the baby.  
  
  
"What is going on?" the teenager asked.  
  
  
"I'm not sure. All of you stay right here," he set the kids down on a chair and stormed out of the capsule.  
  
  
"What is this? Foreign beings on my planet? I order you to bow down before your master, the sayain prince!" a much younger Vegeta stepped into sight.  
  
  
"You!" Vegeta was somewhat surprised to see his younger counterpart. "You idiot!"  
  
  
"How dare you speak to your prince in such a way!"  
  
  
Vegeta formed a large blast and shot his young counterpart before he could react. "That blast you shot just about hit the child you will one day have!"  
  
  
Vegeta looked up, slightly dazed. He hadn't expected any fighting back. But he was up to the challenge. "You're dillusional! I would have nothing to do with the slimy brats! I hate children and I'd die before ever creating one of my own!" he stood, brushing the dust off himself.  
  
  
Vegeta grabbed him by the neck. "Now you listen to me, you self-righteous, arrogant, nobody..."   
  
"How dare you!"   
  
"Quiet!" Vegeta powered up to super sayain without hardly realising it. "I am you in the future. I know what you think at this point and it almost disgusts me that I used to be this way! But I have four versions of my son in that capsule, each from a different time period and if you so much as harm one hair on any of their heads I'll break your neck and make you a paraplegic for the rest of your life.  
  
  
"Well," Vegeta smirked, hiding his surprise at this whole situation. "If what you   
say is really true, then if you harm me, you'll never have that child of yours."  
  
  
Vegeta's scowl deepened. He was right and it was obvious he wasn't yet convinced of what he'd been told. "Come on," he pushed the other man ahead of him.  
  
  
"All right, I'm game," Vegeta walked toward the capsule, amused by the goings on.  
  
  
"Is that Dad?" nine year old Trunks watched as the two men walked back toward the capsule.  
  
  
"It looks like it," the teenager stood behind him, watching.  
  
  
"What's that funny thing he's wearing on his chest?" the four year old asked.  
  
  
"It's sayain armor," the teenager answered.  
  
  
"Pretty goofy, huh," the nine year old giggled.  
  
  
"They're coming in, everybody sit down," the teenager rushed to the table.  
  
  
The baby let out a squeel as they all sat down.  
  
  
Vegeta raised an eyebrow as he stepped into the capsule and looked at each of the kids. The baby sqeeled again.  
  
  
"Quiet," the teenager whispered.  
  
  
"They look like a bunch of clones."  
  
  
"They're the same person at different ages," Vegeta showed no amusement.  
  
  
"Oh. And how did they come to all be in one place?" past Vegeta challenged with a smirk.  
  
  
"That one," Vegeta frowned as he pointed to the nine year old, "is from my time. He hid in here when I went back to talk to the Vegeta from that one's time," he looked to the four year old. "Then the old one showed up by mistake and some monster from his time popped up and froze the four year olds' parents, and then went to kill the baby. So, I took the four year old and got to the baby just in time to grab him and destroy the monster. He'd already frozen the parents from his time too though."  
  
  
"I see," Vegeta played along, not buying any of it.  
  
  
"Are you super sayain yet?" the nine year old spoke up.  
  
  
"What's it to you, brat?" Vegeta narrowed his eyes at the child.  
  
  
"Enough. All of you, go in the other room."  
  
  
"Why?" Trunks objected. "He never answered my question."  
  
  
"Hey, now's not the time," the teenager grabbed the younger one by the shoulder and bent down a little bit, whispering. "The answer is no."  
  
  
The younger Vegeta narrowed his eyes.  
  
  
"Enough you two, get out!" Vegeta deepened his order.  
  
  
"All right, now tell me for real. What is going on?" the younger Vegeta demanded.  
  
  
"You've heard, you just don't want to believe it."  
  
  
"I find it impossible to believe I would ever have a child. I want nothing to do with the things."  
  
  
"Not now you don't. You're too wrapped up in ruling the universe and beating Kakarot."  
  
  
The younger Vegeta's eyes widened slightly, but he tried to hide his surprise.  
  
  
"Unfortunately that wont change much even when Trunks is born. It wont really change until he's eight."  
  
  
"Trunks, huh?" Vegeta smirked. "What kind of a name is that."  
  
  
"Don't even try it! I know your every thought," Vegeta frowned. "You know as much about that name as I do."  
  
  
"Fine, I'll give you that one. If I ever did have a son, that's what I would call him. However, the thought sickens me."  
  
  
"You haven't even had the child and already you're hiding your care for him. Even this very moment you like the thought of it. It makes you proud, but you're far to arrogant to ever admit to something like that."  
  
  
Vegeta scowled. "How dare you! I want nothing to do with any child of any sort! They scream, they cry, they whine, they're messy...children disgust me!"  
  
  
"Yes, I never said they didn't, but you love that one."  
  
  
"I couldn't care LESS about him!"  
  
  
"Go ahead and try to hide it! But I can see it in your eyes already. It's the thing you've pushed away more than anything else and while you're nowhere near admiting it because you haven't the strength yet, you want that boy. Deep down, you've always wanted him."  
  
  
The younger Vegeta stood, powering up. "You pompus..."  
  
  
"Enough!" Vegeta shot straight to super sayain 3. "You're already destined to ignore the child, but for training him to be better than Kakarot's children, until he's 8 and you realise you will never beat Kakarot. He will always be a step ahead of you. Go ahead and ignore the fact that this child will become the single most important thing in your life. Live the years I've already been through and see for yourself! Now get out of here, I have work to do in returning these children to where they belong," he let out a large blast of sweeping air that threw his younger counterpart right out the door.  
  
  
  
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 


	5. Future Secrets

"Ugh! I can't hear a thing!" the nine year old crossed his arms and stepped away from the door. "Why does he always make me leave? What's going on out there?"  
  
  
The teenager stared at him with a smirk, remembering all too well how he'd used to feel about being left out at that age. "I doubt its anything that interesting really," he placed the baby in his playpen.  
  
  
"Yeah well I'm sick of being left out of everything!"  
  
  
"You'd just get yelled at if you went out there anyway."  
  
  
"I'm sick of that too!"  
  
  
"I know, I remember. This is when Dad went through his transitioning phase, I think. He was always real snippy and I got in trouble for absolutely everything. Don't worry, it'll pass and then things will get better."  
  
  
"When?" the nine year old placed one hand on his hip and tilted his head.  
  
  
"When you're 11."  
  
  
"Eleven! I can't wait that long!" Trunks complained. "You're telling me I won't be able to breath without getting yelled at until I'm 11?!"  
  
  
"Chill! You're only getting yelled at because Dad feels guilty for ignoring you in the past. I think these are the years he's working through that and then your relationship will get a lot better."  
  
  
"Well that's sure a funny way of showing it!"  
  
  
"What's going on in here!" Vegeta's eyes were angered as he opened the door.  
  
  
"It's me! It's all my fault...for the next two years!" nine year old Trunks followed his arms, looking at his older counterpart.  
  
  
"Hey, I told you that in confidence!" the teenager was somewhat indigant. "I should have known I couldnt' keep a secret at that age!"  
  
  
"Enough. You, come with me, you two stay here. And watch that baby!"  
  
  
The oldest Trunks followed Vegeta into the kitchen and sat down across the table from him.  
  
  
"Now what is going on? What are these bad years you keep talking about?"  
  
  
"Oh...that's when I was between 8 and 10. It got better when I was 11."  
  
  
"Why are they bad?"  
  
  
"Because everything Idid was wrong and I got yelled at all the time," Trunks told him part of it, but ignored the other part. He hadn't ever told anyone more than that.  
  
  
"What?"  
  
  
"I figure now it must have been because you were going through a transitioning time or something."  
  
  
"You're not telling me everything. I need more information in order to piece this together."  
  
  
"I'm just not used to talking about this kind of thing. Don't you think it's kinda...dumb?"  
  
  
"Forget what I think. Tell me. That's an order."  
  
  
"Well...I guess it started with the Majin Buu stuff when I was eight and after you first said...well...you know what you said, Dad! Before you died. Anyway, I was preoccupied with that ever since and I was trying to...I don't know...gain your approval maybe?" Trunks rolled his eyes. "It sounds really stupid. I guess I just didn't know what you wanted from me and everything I did was the wrong thing. Either that or you just couldn't stand me."  
  
  
Vegeta stared at him. He'd gone back to fix his child's life and yet he never realised he was right in the middle of making it awful as they spoke. "Go on."  
  
  
"Night time was really bad though because I had really bad nightmares for the next couple of years. I didn't tell anyone...especially not you because I thought you'd be ashamed," Trunks looked away.  
  
  
"Trunks, look at me. Why would I be ashamed?"  
  
  
"Because they scared me...and sometimes I even cried," he looked down again. "I was sure you'd be ashamed to have such a wimpy son."  
  
  
"What were these dreams about?"  
  
  
"Lots of things really, but the worst ones were usually about Majin Buu eating mom and killing you...or sometimes I was fighting him and he was winning and you were watching in the background laughing or doing nothing. Or yelling at me for not being strong enough."  
  
  
Vegeta sighed. "When did they stop?"  
  
  
"I still have them once in awhile, but they became a lot less when I turned 11...actually it was after that day."  
  
  
"What day?"  
  
  
"Aw, Dad...this is too weird. I can't tell you any more. It hasn't happened for you yet..."  
  
  
"Trunks, I want to know! I don't want you to live the rest of your life with these memories! I can't change your past unless I know now what to do!"  
  
  
"I was watching TV and I had learned by then to give you full attention when you walked in the room. I got yelled at less that way. So I turned off the TV and asked if you wanted me to do anything and you said you wanted me to listen."  
  
  
"...Yes, and what else?"  
  
  
Trunks sighed. He hated revealing this. "You said you'd wasted the last 10 years where I was concerned and it had to stop and I needed to know that...well...how am I supposed to say this?"  
  
  
"Just spit it out!"  
  
  
"You said it was something you'd wanted to say for a very long time and you just couldn't bring yourself to do it..."  
  
  
"Are you saying...is that the first time I told you...," Vegeta fought himself to say the words, "the first time I said I love you?"  
  
  
Trunks eyes widened. "...Yes."  
  
  
Vegeta looked away, feeling completely drained. "I spent two...or THREE...years trying to spit that out? Three years that I'm yelling at you all because I can't bring myself to say what I should have been saying from the day you were born? Trunks...come here."  
  
  
Trunks turned his vision back to his father. He didn't want to go. It was too strange.  
  
  
"For heaven's sake, come here! I want to tell you something!"  
  
  
He wanted to say he could hear from where he was, but he didn't. Instead he stood and took a few steps toward his former father.  
  
  
Vegeta wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a tight hug. "Your past is going to change. When you return to your own time, you'll find you have completely different memories of those years. And they will be much better."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
I'm pretty good about posting new chapters rather frequently, but I'm also working on "For The Love of a Child" and I've got a whole bunch of people waiting on it, so it's got first priority. Bear with me if it takes a little while to get another chapter of this out. It definitely wont take more than a week. Likely it'll only be a few days at most. BTW: This fiction is close to done so there really wont be THAT many more chapters of it... Probably only 2 or 3 more. 


	6. Making Efforts

Note: Sap warning, but not TOO much quite yet. (not too much, taking into consideration how much I'm capable of writing...)  
  
  
  
  
  
Vegeta spent the rest of the day patching the holes his early self had blasted in the walls. Tonight he put the baby to sleep in the playpen and the teenager was asleep in the next room over. He may have been fourteen, but Vegeta didn't care. He still kissed the sleeping form before checking on the younger two. The four year old was peacefully asleep, just as Vegeta had remembered him always being in years past. Turning to his sweating nine year old, Vegeta watched as his features scrunched and he let out a few large breaths. He'd seen this many times when checking on his son over the past year. Now he knew why it was. And he'd made up his mind.  
  
  
Carefully Vegeta lifted the child out of his bed and carried him into his room, setting him down there.  
  
  
"Trunks," Vegeta's voice was quiet and gentle as he placed a hand on his cheek, trying to calm his sleep. "It's ok, I'm here."  
  
  
Slowly, he inched into the bed, lifting Trunks' head onto his shoulder and wrapping his arm around his waste. Trunks' breathing seemed to even out and his features calmed, but he didn't wake. Vegeta closed his eyes, trying to hear the sound of his child's young ki.  
  
  
Suddenly Trunks bolted awake, sitting straight up, his eyes wide. He closed them for a moment and a few tears fell, then he opened them again. Vegeta placed a hand on his back, but the boy jumped, startled by it. When he realised it was his father, he quickly turned away, wiping his eyes dry.  
  
  
"Trunks, what is it? Did you have a nightmare?"  
  
  
Trunks was a little bit surprised. He'd never told his father he had nightmares. Quickly he shook his head. "No, I'm fine..."  
  
  
"You're not fine, Trunks. Why do you think I brought you in here?" Vegeta's eyes narrowed a little, without his ever realising it. Trunks glanced around shortly. He hadn't even realised he was in his father's room. "Now I want some REAL answers."  
  
  
"To what?"  
  
  
Vegeta could feel his patience dwindling a little bit and it frustrated him. How was he supposed to improve anything with his temper always ruling his actions? He tried hard to surpress the irritaion he was feeling, more with himself than with his son. "You've been having nightmares."  
  
  
"How would YOU know?" Trunks challenged, kicking himself for acting with such disrespect toward his father after it had come out. He'd probably get slapped for it.  
  
  
Vegeta's eyes flashed momentraily as he fought to stay in control of himself. "You're fourteen in the other room, I'll have you know, and I forced it out of him."  
  
  
"Big mouth," Trunks muttered under his breath.  
  
  
"And besides that, I've seen you when you're sleep. You sweat, you squirm, and sometimes you scream. The looks on your face are not the looks of a normal sleeping child!" Trunks could see his father was getting quite annoyed. "Now tell me the TRUTH and stop beating around the bush!"  
  
  
"Yes, I have nightmares sometimes..."  
  
  
"How often?" Vegeta asked before Trunks could continued.  
  
  
He faultered a second, having not finished his previous sentence. "...I don't know...like...every night usually, but..."  
  
  
"What are they about?"  
  
  
  
  
Trunks let out a breath of frustration. Why wouldn't his father let him finish before asking him something new? "Stuff, but Dad, it's nothing I can't handle. I'm fine."  
  
  
"KNOCK IT OFF!" Vegeta had lost his patience. "I don't expect you to be some extraordinary super being with nothing but fearless, emotionless strength and arrogance! You're a CHILD! Children have fears! EVERYONE has fears! Tell me the TRUTH!"  
  
  
Trunks stared at him with shock, hurt, and confusion for a few seconds, eyes rather wide. Inside he felt like crying, but he wasn't about to do THAT. Finally he came up with an answer. "I don't know what you want from me." It was simple and calmly stated and the only thing that would come to his mind. It just repeated over and over in hopes that he would somehow figure out how to solve the dilema.  
  
  
Vegeta watched him, trying to find a reply. "I don't want ANYTHING from you," his voice was calm again as he gained control of his temper. "Just honesty."  
  
  
Both were quiet for a few minutes, glancing at each other through the thick silence.  
  
  
"Tell me how to be what you want me to be," Trunks finally spoke. His voice indicated his feeling of defeat.  
  
  
"I don't want you to be anything but my son," Vegeta responded as quickly as he was able.  
  
  
"How do I do that?"  
  
  
"You don't, Trunks, it just is."  
  
  
He didn't understand.  
  
  
"Look, I'll tell you what I DON'T want. I DON'T want you to be the way I've been the last 9 years."  
  
  
Trunks blinked a few times. DON'T be like his father? But how else could he win his approval if not by imitating him? "What am I doing wrong?"  
  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
  
Trunks looked away. "That makes you so mad at me all the time."  
  
  
"It's not all you. It's really not you at ALL. It's me," Vegeta sighed, looking away as well.   
  
  
He felt very uncomfortable. Perhaps he wasn't ready to deal with this yet. But at the same time he couldn't stand the thought of Trunks being put through this ringer for the next two years just because VEGETA wasn't ready to change, and so he forced himself to continue.  
  
  
"The problem lies in my bad example and the way I've treated you. There's really nothing more to it." Trunks waited intently for his father to continue so he could understand what he was saying. "Things WILL get better BEFORE you're eleven, if you'll just allow me to make them that way."  
  
  
"How do I do that?"  
  
  
"Showing affection is very hard for me, Trunks, but I want to learn to do it. The fact that I've trained you to think it's something embarassing and weak only makes it that much harder. When I finally muster enough courage to try, you push me away because that's what I've shown you to do."  
  
  
Trunks raised an eyebrow, unsure of what that meant.  
  
  
Vegeta closed his eyes, feeling exhausted and compeletly spent within himself. He couldn't take any more of this. Not tonight. Trunks watched him, a feeling of uneasiness tugging in his chest as he wondered what he should do.  
  
  
"I'm tired," Vegeta's voice was just above a whisper. "Go to bed."  
  
  
Trunks stood, watching him curiously as he slowly made his way to the door. Vegeta never looked at him as he slid into his bed. Quietly Trunks shut the door and went back to his own bed. He felt dizzy, but wasn't sure if he could sleep after this whole ordeal.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Sorry this isn't very long, but I couldn't end it later because...well this was just a better point to stop for this chapter. You'll see why when I get to writing the next one. It's looking like there are going to be more chapters than I was anticipating after this one. I may only be a little over half done. (I only write the general story--the truth is the characters have minds of their own and it's THEM that decide how quickly they will get around to doing what I've outlined for them to in the course of a story. Sometimes it takes them longer than I was expecting. But, as far as I'm concerned, THAT is the secret of writing something that's any good. Or believable for that matter. Characters must stay at least SEMI true to themselves. They can't just immediately do what you want them to for no reason--not and still have a relatively good story. Ok, I'm done with my speech now. Sorry it was so long....) 


	7. Changes

Note: Umb...less sap then last chapter, I think...there really ISN'T any note on this chapter except that it's another short one.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Baby Trunks stared at the form of his sleeping father. Somehow he just KNEW it was his father, even though there was something different about him. Suddenly a large smile came over his face and he began squeeling and shaking his tiny hands around. Latching onto the side of the playpen, he pulled himself up and started bouncing happily. Vegeta was still asleep, completely exhausted and having no awareness that the youngest version of his son had been awake for nearly an hour. He was only lucky the child wasn't screaming for food. The truth was, he wasn't hungry yet. Just happy to be in the presence of his father, whom he rarely saw.   
  
  
In the next room over, both the children Trunks were sleeping. It had taken the nine year old several hours to fall asleep after dwelling for so long on the words his father had said. He wanted desperately to know how to please him and he knew his father had revealed how to him. He just couldn't understand and that was frustrating the life right out of him. Finally he had given up on trying to understand and fallen asleep.  
  
  
Teenaged Trunks was sitting at the kitchen table. He knew the baby was awake from the gurgling and giggling in the other room. Something was very different. He had a headache and felt very strange when he woke (much earlier than he normally would have). It was as if he'd had brain surgery over night and for the first time he was remembering something he didn't recall ever remembering before... Of course! His memories were changing!  
  
  
Trunks' eyes widened as he thought back. All of a sudden he had a vague memory of being four years old and taken away by someone that looked just like his Dad! And then he remembered being nine and following his father onto a time-capsule and running into his four year old self and an older self, which he WAS now.  
  
  
"This is WAY too strange...," Trunks muttered. Then his eyes widened as memories of what his father had said to him--the nine year old him--just the night before sunk in. He could even remember everything he'd been feeling at the time!  
  
  
  
He also remembered something about how he'd had nightmares until he was eleven and his father had said for the first time that he loved him, but now it seemed more like that had been a dream he'd had, rather than a memory of reality. It was still so that his father hadn't told him he loved him until 11, but now he remembered having feelings of curiousity toward his father up until the point he finally said it.  
  
  
Shaking his head he tried to sort all of this out, but it just wasn't making any sense. It was if he had two sets of memories now. Some that were as if they were dreams and some that he knew had happened. But the boundaries between what he'd really experienced and what he hadn't were blurry now. Yesterday he didn't feel this way. That's all he knew for sure. Yesterday he had had a talk with Vegeta--the one that was father to him at the age of nine.  
  
  
And finally it all hit him! He finally understood what was happening! His memories were changing because his father, of the past, was treating him differently from the way his father of the future had and for that reason HE was changing. The phenominon was incredible! But at the same time, the throbbing in his head was intense and quite painful.  
  
  
Vegeta staggered into the kitchen, interupting his thoughts. He held the baby in one arm as he opened the refridgerator with the other and pulled out a half empty bottle. The tiniest Trunks was quite excitable this morning and making all sorts of noises as he explored his voice. Glancing shortly at the teenager, he sat down an attempted feeding the baby.  
  
  
"Rather earlier for you to be awake, isn't it?" he grunted, his eyes narrowing a bit as little Trunks turned his head away fromt he bottle and instead reached for the salt shaker. Vegeta moved it further away, and tried to refocus him on his food.  
  
  
"I couldn't sleep."  
  
  
Both were silent for a little while.  
  
  
"Maybe...," Trunks started and then stopped, unsure if he really should say what he was thinking.  
  
  
"What?" Vegeta didn't look up from the task at hand.  
  
  
"I don't know, nevermind," Trunks muttered.  
  
  
"Don't say something if you don't intend on finishing."  
  
  
"Sorry."  
  
  
"Let me state it more clearly. Finish your thought," Vegeta looked up just long enough for the teenager to know he MEANT it.  
  
  
Trunks sighed. "Well, my memories are changing and uh...what you said to me...the OTHER me...last night...I understand it, but I didn't then. I mean...last night. I didn't understand what you were trying to tell me."  
  
  
"YOU didn't? Or HE didn't?"  
  
  
"Well...everyone here, except you, IS me."  
  
  
"For purposes of clarity, call the others HE."  
  
  
"Fine, then HE didn't understand."  
  
  
"Then YOU remember what I told him last night?" Vegeta was a little surprised.  
  
  
"Yes...and I've got a really bad headache now!" Trunks scrunched his face and let it drop into his hands on the table. "This is REALLY weird. It's almost like I have two sets of memories, only the stuff I thought was real yesterday seems like just a dream I remember today."  
  
  
"What memories do you have today that are different?"  
  
  
"Well...I THINK I don't remember having quite as many nightmares, but I remember being really confused and intrigued by you from last night on. I wasn't quite as much of a brat as I thought I'd been yesterday, and you..well you still yelled a lot, but it didn't affect me quite as much."  
  
  
Vegeta frowned. This wasn't enough. "Ok, it's clear that this venture is going to be tricky. Today i want you to write down everything you think you remembered as truth yesterday and then write down everything you think is truth today. And tomorrow we will have it recorded in case anything changes."  
  
  
Trunks was a little bit surprised by this suggestion. For a moment a warm feeling came over him as he toyed with the thought that him and his father of the past were involved, just the two of them, in a business quest. A mission was to be accomplished that could only be done by BOTH their involvments. And nobody else's.  
  
  
"And in the meantime, I think it best I travel to the time frame I was killed in."  
  
  
Trunks eyes widened as he looked curiously at Vegeta.  
  
  
"I think we both should warn me about this monster and what is destined to occur. And most importantly, WHY."  
  
  
Why? Trunks thought for a second, trying to get straight what he'd just been told. They needed to tell HIS father that this monster was destined to kill him because...the realization of why hit him...because he wanted him out of the way in order to kill Trunks. THAT was why Vegeta had been killed. A feeling of guilt came over him.  
  
  
"Because of me...," Trunks voice was a whisper and distant.  
  
  
Vegeta looked at him for a moment, decifering what it was he was thinking. "Yes, because if I knows this monster has come for the purpose of killing you, I assure you the matter will immediately be taken care of," he tried to hide a prideful smirk, but the love in his eyes couldn't be hidden from his son.  
  
  
Trunks smirked, crossing his arms and sitting back in the chair. "I thought we were going to call our other selves HE, not I."  
  
  
Vegeta smirked.  
  
  
"Not too easy is it?" Trunks left with a smile to record the changes in his memory, just as he'd been told.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 


	8. Future Vegeta

Warning: No sap this chapter. (Like THAT has to be warned? I guess just so the people reading for the sap will know. There WILL be more in later chapters. Maybe not the next one after this though, but after that I'm sure I'll be getting back to that.)  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
"You know, I really hated it when you left me out of everything," Teenage Trunks commented as he sat in the front of the ship with Vegeta. His nine-year old counterpart had just been sent to his room so he'd stay out of the way as they made their way to the future.  
  
  
Vegeta glanced shortly at him. "You haven't exactly kept that a secret."  
  
  
Trunks snickered. "Yeah, but you never listened to anything I said back then. What I thought never mattered."  
  
  
"Trunks, if you were your nine-year old self, and you were up here with us, what would you be doing right now?"  
  
  
The teenager sat back in his seat for a few seconds. "I would be...asking where we're going, why we're going there, if there was going to be ANOTHER one of me, and if there was any way of helping. Of course, you would have said no, and I would have complained about that..."  
  
  
Vegeta smirked, looking at the boy from the corners of his eyes. "And you still wonder why I sent him out of here?"  
  
  
Trunks smiled, rolling his eyes. "All right, all right. But I wasn't TRYING to be irritating. I was just curious, that's all."  
  
  
"Yes, but you're arrogant at that age and that's a very dangerous thing. Especially where we're going. I don't want you darting out of this ship and getting yourself killed."  
  
  
"He won't do that...Ok, yes he would, BUT...uh..."  
  
  
Vegeta watched the boy as he struggled to find excuses.  
  
  
"He'd be more abt not to if you were right there making sure he didn't, rather than having him back in that room," Trunks finally concluded.  
  
  
"Are you quite finished?" Vegeta eyed him. "All right, if you're so smart. YOU deal with it."  
  
  
"I can't do that! I'm not my father!" Trunks raised an eyebrow. "Ok, that just sounded weird.," he muttered. "He won't listen to me."  
  
  
"And he'll listen to ME?"  
  
  
"Well...yeah!"  
  
  
"What makes you so sure?"  
  
  
"Because you could kick my BUTT at that age!"  
  
  
"You could do the same thing to him."  
  
  
"Yes but...beating MYSELF up? Talk about WEIRD!"  
  
  
Vegeta glared at him. "Are you implying I would beat you up?"  
  
  
Trunks looked at him. "No."  
  
  
"You'd BETTER not be," he warned.  
  
  
Trunks sighed. "This is WAY too complicated." He was feeling tired.  
  
  
"Agreed."  
  
  
Both of them looked forward as the ship had stopped.  
  
  
"Are we there?" Vegeta asked.  
  
  
"It sure looks like it," Trunks answered.  
  
  
"I'm guessing that if you remember the events that went on yesterday, the me of this time probably has an incling about this monster. However, since I don't know the exact dates we're at, he must not either. Therefore, this trip won't be a complete waste. All we'll be here for is to tell me it's time to find and kill the monster."  
  
  
Trunks raised an eyebrow. Every word his past father had just said flew right over his head. He looked out the front window. "Oh look, there's me, last year."  
  
  
"Perhaps you should stay here with the other three and I'll go find myself. We may just as well get this over with. And DON'T let that nine-year old out of this ship. Sit on him if you have to, but I do NOT want him leaving here, or you'll BOTH answer for it," Vegeta warned as he opened the door.  
  
  
Trunks rolled his eyes and slumped in the passenger seat. Stuck watching three little versions of himself. What could be worse?  
  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
The thirteen year old Trunks, looked up after having grabbed the baseball he'd thrown acorss the yard as someone that looked much like his father walked toward his house. "Dad?" he was a little puzzled. He was sure he'd seen his father inside the house.  
  
  
Vegeta walked right in the front door and to the kitchen where the future version of himself was seated.  
  
  
"Well, it's about time. I've been on edge since the day Trunks TURNED thirteen," future Vegeta looked up from his breakfast.  
  
  
"Yes, I figured so. I don't know how close we are to the time this monster is supposed to show up, but it was Trunks that punched the time in, so I assume it's pretty near."  
  
  
"Perhaps I should speak with HIM then," Vegeta rose from the table.  
  
  
Vegeta and Vegeta both walked back out toward the space capsule on the front lawn.  
  
  
"Trunks!" future Vegeta exclaimed, his features hardening. "What do you think you're doing out here?! I've told you a million times you are NOT to go outside!"  
  
  
"Dad!" the thirteen year old complained, rolling his eyes. "You're WAY too paranoid..."  
  
  
"Get over here!" future Vegeta demanded.  
  
  
Teenage Trunks watched the scene from inside the capsule. He was holding the baby on one hips and the two children versions were peering out the window in front of him. The thirteen year old scowled, trudging over to his father, after which he recieved a wack on the back of the head and was roughly pulled into the capsule.  
  
  
"Great. ANOTHER one," nine year old rolled his eyes.  
  
  
"Shut up," Teenager kicked him.  
  
  
"Ow!" nine year old pinched his arm.  
  
  
"You little brat!" teenager pushed him half way across the room.  
  
  
"ENOUGH! ALL of you!" Vegeta yelled.  
  
  
The baby started giggling with delight.  
  
  
"I didn't do anything...," four year old pouted.  
  
  
"Let's just get this over with so I can go back to MY time. I've had WAY more than enough of me! ONE is plenty!" Teenager insisted.  
  
  
"Agreed!" Nine year old immediately popped up.  
  
  
"And YOU especially! No wonder Dad hates your guts!" Teenager glared at attitude child.  
  
  
"THAT is NOT true!" both Vegetas spat in unison, glaring intensely at the fourteen year old.  
  
  
The thirteen year old grabbed his four year old counterpart by the arm and drug him over to the table with a smile. "Pull up a chair, this is getting interesting," he muttered, enjoying the fight.  
  
  
"They always fight," the four year old watched with little interest. He didn't really have any idea what was going on and he didn't care.  
  
  
"Ok, I take it back," teenager muttered. "I get sick of me TOO, you know."  
  
  
"Do I REALLY have to grow up to be like HIM?" Nine year old brushed himself off.  
  
  
"Am I the only one that thinks this is like a bad nightmare?" Vegeta's voice was barely audible as he talked to his other self.  
  
  
"I've been through it. Now all I have to do is destroy the monster and keep MY kid," future Vegeta smirked.  
  
  
Vegeta scowled at him. "I oughta just let YOU return them all to their times."  
  
  
"Yes, but then how would YOU get back?"  
  
  
"I'm SURE you have a ship in this time."  
  
  
"Perhaps. But then...you'll never know, until you reach this point.  
  
  
Vegeta mumbled something under his breath and turned back toward the five Trunks. "All right. YOU," he glared at the teenager. "Tell HIM what he needs to know about the monster, and the REST of you, come with me."  
  
  
"Me too?" thirteen year old's eyes widened. "But I'm past this already...I don't remember THIS part happening..."  
  
  
"Because it HASN'T yet. Your memory of the past is still in transition. It will be until all of this is over. And YES, you too," Vegeta answered.  
  
  
"Dang! But I'm supposed to be PAST the left out stage," he scowled, following the group.  
  
  
"First off, I thought I made it QUITE clear to you that you were loved your entire life," future Vegeta cut straight in on the oldest of the five once the others were out of ear shot.  
  
  
"You've been dead for nearly a year, and I've been stuck with that nine year old TERROR for the past few days."  
  
  
"SO?! Just because that was your worst year, doesn't mean I didn't love you."  
  
  
"I know," Trunks sighed. "Can we get off this? I'm beginning to hate myself."  
  
  
Future Vegeta snorted. "All right fine. YOU aren't your son. I guess you can't comprehend it all. Now tell me, when did this monster kill me?"  
  
  
"In two days."  
  
  
"Why does he want to kill you?"  
  
  
"I don't know."  
  
  
"Who sent him?"  
  
  
"I don't know that either."  
  
  
"Well how the heck did you even survive so long after my death if he killed me for purposes of killing YOU?!"  
  
  
"Gohan," Trunks stated simply.  
  
  
"What happened to Kakarot?"  
  
  
"He was killed the day after you were."  
  
  
"Why didn't Gohan kill the monster?"  
  
  
"We couldn't find his ki. It was supressed. But the thing DID try a few times. Gohan was just kinda like a body guard. For me and Goten BOTH."  
  
  
"This makes NO sense," future Vegeta shook his head. "There are too many missing elements and things that don't add up. Gohan should have been able to kill this thing."  
  
  
Trunks sighed. "All I know is the thing has to die and YOU are plenty strong enough to kill it."  
  
  
"Yes, but if it was sent by someone else, then this thing still wont be over," future Vegeta frowned.  
  
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
(Sorry this is a boring chapter.) 


	9. Questions and Answers

Warning: sap, but NOT very GOOD sap.  
  
  
  
Trunks, Trunks, Trunks, and Trunks (being held by the thirteen year old) all sat on the bed in the back room. Vegeta stared at them. He felt dizzy as he looked from one to the next, having absolutely no idea what to do with them while the fourteen year old took the future Vegeta to go kill the monster. How long would this take? The sooner he could get HIS Trunks and himself back to his own time, the better. But in the meantime he had to keep these four from leaving the time capsule.  
  
  
They were all staring at him, even the baby.  
  
  
"So...maybe we oughta play twenty-questions," the thirteen year old broke the silence with a smirk.  
  
  
Vegeta eyed him, but that gave him an idea. "As long as we're all stuck here, perhaps we could put that game to a little bit of use. Instead, you can each take turns asking whomever you want, within this room, any question and that person is required to answer truthfully."  
  
  
Nine year old raised an eyebrow. "That sounds kind of stupid to me."  
  
  
"I'm game," there was a look of mischivousness on the thirteen year old's face. "I've had plenty of things I've wanted to ask fro quite some time now."  
  
  
"All right fine. You start," Vegeta looked at the four year old.  
  
  
"Me? What do I do?"  
  
  
"Ask anyone in this room any question you like."  
  
  
"Ok...how come you're always so mad?" the four year old looked at the nine year old.  
  
  
"Me? ...I'm NOT always mad!"  
  
  
"Yes you are! You're alwasy yelling about soemthing."  
  
  
"Well I don't KNOW why," Trunks was irritated and he scowled.  
  
  
"All right, your turn," Vegeta looked at him.  
  
  
Trunks grumbled for a few seconds. "How come you always send me out of the room?"  
  
  
"Yeah!" the thirteen year old was quick to agree, quite amused. "GOOD one!"  
  
  
"I don't ALWAYS send you out..."  
  
  
"ALMOST always!"  
  
  
"Today is was because I didn't wnt you distracting me with a bunch of questions. Other times it's because I want to talk to somebody else about soemthing private that isn't any of your business."  
  
  
Trunks scowled, folding his arms.  
  
  
"Ok, my turn!" thirteen year old piped up. "Can I have a car when I turn sixteen if I stop being a brat at that age?" he glanced at his younger counterpart.  
  
  
"Not likely. You," he looked back to the four year old.  
  
  
"When am I going home?"  
  
  
"I don't know when, but soon."  
  
  
"Why do we have to play this game?" nine-year old took his turn.  
  
  
"Because I said so."  
  
  
"That wasn't an honest answer," thirteen glared.  
  
  
"All right, fine. Because I was hoping something constructive may come of it. And it's MY turn now. You've all had two turns already."  
  
  
"I haven't."  
  
  
Vegeta glared at him shortly, then turned to the nine-year old. "If I were to change one thing about the way I treat you, what would you like it to be?"  
  
  
"What are you talking about, Dad?"  
  
  
"Tell me ONE thing you want me to do differently."  
  
  
Trunks thought for a few seconds. "Don't yell at me all the time!"  
  
  
Thirteen year old nodded smugly.  
  
  
"All right, you ask another one and then I get to go again," Vegeta directed.  
  
  
"Did you mean everything you said when Majin Buu first came? Beofre you got blown up?"  
  
  
Vegeta's eyes widened a little bit. "Of course I did," he was rather puzzled to hear that question, especially from the young teen. "Ok, here's another one for you," he finally turned his attention back to his own Trunks. "Other than yelling at you, what would you change about me?"  
  
  
"...Uh...being left out of everything."  
  
  
Vegeta pondered that for a second. He wasn't completely sure if he believed him. The boy was probably too young to even KNOW what he really wanted anyway. The four year old child looked bored as could be and the baby was starting to get fussy. Vegeta decided to take them into the other room and let them play in there for awhile.  
  
  
"My turn?" his nine-year old asked when he returned.  
  
  
"Yes."  
  
  
"What the heck were you talking about last night?"  
  
  
"Oh, I know!" thirteen interupted with a smile. "Now."  
  
  
Vegeta thought on it for a few seconds. "I'm not sure I can answer that question just yet. Let me ask one first," he turned to the thirtten year old. "If there were two things YOU could go back and change about how I treated you when you were nine, what would they be?"  
  
  
"Me?" he was surprised to be asked. he looked nervously to the younger child, then back. "I don't know if I want to answer in front of him..."  
  
  
"Too bad, it's not an option. You HAVE to answer and right here."  
  
  
"Ok, I'll answer if YOU answer one quick question. Did you care about me when I was nine?"  
  
  
"YES! Of course I did!" Vegeta was almost indignant.  
  
  
"Ok, then...I would have...made you...uh...I don't know...outward about your feelings? I can't think of another way of saying it. And I would have...made you less irritated by me. I guess kind of the same as he said. Not mad all the time."  
  
  
Vegeta let that sink in for a second before he went back to his own child's question. "Ok, I think I can explain now, Trunks. Last night, I was trying to tell you that I want to do just what he said... I want to be able to express my feelings more outwardly toward you."  
  
  
"I still don't get it."  
  
  
"He's saying he CARES!" thirteen rolled his eyes.  
  
  
"Hush! Let me say it myself!"  
  
  
Trunks looked from his older self to his father, feeling uneasy and very small all of a sudden. "I think you're all crazy and this game is stupid!"  
  
  
"All right!" Vegeta stood, his eyes narrowing. "How's THIS for changing the past? Trunks," he looked directly at the younger boy, "what I'm trying to say is that I love you."  
  
  
Both boys looked at him in shock.  
  
  
"...That...uh...changes things...," thirteen muttered.  
  
  
Vegeta looked from one to the other and rested his eyes on the older one. "Well, I didn't wait until you were eleven now."  
  
  
"Well...no..."  
  
  
Vegeta's gaze shifted to the younger one, who was staring at him almost suspiciously. "What?!" he was rather irritated and incredibly self-conscious.  
  
  
Trunks blinked, flinching just slightly, but didn't say anything.  
  
  
"Stop staring at me like that! It's not THAT big a shock!"  
  
  
Trunks raised an eyebrow.  
  
  
"Are you kidding?!" the thirteen year old snorted. "I'm four years in the future and I'M shocked!"  
  
  
"Why?! You've heard it before..."  
  
  
"But only when I was eleven. I mean...you've been a lot better since then, but STILL... those just aren't words in your vocabulary," he tried to hide a smirk.  
  
  
"Great. You're going to go from arrogant to attitude. That's just wonderful," Vegeta muttered. "Ok, ok, that's enough of this. YOU, out. Go in the other room and make sure the baby's all right."  
  
  
Once the young teen was gone, Vegeta turned his attention back to the speachless child sitting on the bed. "Trunks, the reason I wanted to go back in time in the first place was so that I could talk some sense into my younger version. The one when you were four. I wanted to make things easier between us NOW. Do you understand?"  
  
  
"...Not really," Trunks admitted.  
  
  
"*Dangit*! I want to HOLD you, I always DID! But you won't let me because you've come to think it's embarrassing. I wanted to talk some sense into my former self so that he would hold you when you were YOUNGER and then you wouldn't be so adverse to it now!" Vegeta was thoroughly frustrated. There seemed to be no way of getting this accross to his son, and it wasn't something he wanted to talk about out loud anyway.  
  
  
Trunks blinked a few times, completely stunned. He understood now, but he couldn't bring himself to believe it. His father had NEVER come even CLOSE to saying such things before. It was entirely uncharacteristic for him. And it didn't seem to make any sense either. How could his father yells at him and act so irriated if this is what he really felt like? The two just didn't reconcile.  
  
  
"Do you have any comprehension for what I'm saying?"  
  
  
"...what's comprehension?"  
  
  
"Do you UNDERSTAND?"  
  
  
"...sort of..."  
  
  
"What DON'T you understand?" Vegeta would give it ONE more try.  
  
  
"...Why do you yell at me so much?"  
  
  
Vegeta's eyes widened for a moment as he was thrown off-guard by the question. Was THAT what he didn't understand? "Because I'm angry a lot and I have a bad temper. And you just happen to be there. And I get MORE angry when I'm around you because I can never treat you the way I WANT to, so I end up yelling at you."  
  
  
"Well what did I do?"  
  
  
"All kinds of things, but I'm usually just yelling because I'm mad at myself and it's the only reaction that surfaces."  
  
  
"...ok..."  
  
  
Vegeta sighed, putting a hand over his forehead and shutting his eyes. "I have a headache!" He let out a sigh of frustration. "Why does this have to be so difficult?"  
  
  
"Dad, when are we going home?"  
  
  
"As soon as we possibly can."  
  
  
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
I get the feeling this story is coming out bad because I'm kinda forcing it along a little and that's not something I regularly do. This chapter is...odd, I guess it the best way I can put it. Oh well, I'll try to salvage the rest as best I can. Where I was origionally going has been blurred because there were too many unanswered questions. I'll try to get another chapter of this done tomorrow (or later tonight and POST it tomorrow...). 


	10. Imperfection

Warning: More sap, but this time it's big Trunks and future Vegeta, so enjoy an older perspective. (and remember...THIS Vegeta is a little more opened up with age than the other one...)  
  
  
A/N: I'm thinking THIS chapter is better than the last few. It flowed a lot easier. This story is forming itself, however. I no longer have it planned, so I'm almost as curious to see where it's heading as YOU are... I'm hoping not to be disapointed (and that you wont be either...).  
  
  
  
  
"Who sent you?!" Future Vegeta had beat just about every bit of life out of the monster, and had done so slowly so as to torture the revolting creature that had the nerve to want to come after HIS son.  
  
  
The giant purple blob gurgled a time or two, but didn't answer. Vegeta punched it in the gut once again. "I'll repeat myself once more, and ONLY once. WHO sent you?!"  
  
  
"I am sent of nobody!" the monster gurgled.  
  
  
"Why do you desire to kill my son?!"  
  
  
"He will become destroyer of my planet, Kharkun!" the monster spat. "I am from the distant future. Thirty years from now. He killed my FATHER!" the monster suddenly exploded with power.  
  
  
Vegeta was thrown backward a little ways and regained his senses just in time to see a large blast speeding toward the fourteen year old below. His heart felt as if it stopped as Trunks held his arms up to counter the blow, but was thrown back a few hundred feet, landing hard on his back.  
  
  
Quickly Vegeta transported himself in front of Trunks and shot a final flash at the monster, blowing him to bits. He breathed heavily, watching as the cloud before him dissipated and only air was left in his line of sight. Finally he turned back toward the young teenager, still lying on the ground, but propped up on his elbows now. He was staring wide-eyed at where the monster had been, a little bit dazed.  
  
  
"Are you all right?" Vegeta asked, a harsh look on his face that only a few people would have understood.  
  
  
"I'm fine...," Trunks forced himself up with a lot of effort, cringing. He held his ribs and coughed.  
  
  
Vegeta watched him, not at all convinced. "I thought I told you to stay out of the way."  
  
  
"I DID."  
  
  
"You weren't where I told you to stay."  
  
  
"...Well...I wasn't THAT far from it..."  
  
  
Vegeta's eyes narrowed.  
  
  
"Dad, I'm fourteen now...I'm not a little kid anymore. I've gotten a lot stronger in this last year."  
  
  
"Oh is that so, huh? Would you like to fight me?"  
  
  
"What?"  
  
  
"You're so TOUGH now, Trunks, would you like to fight me? You must have improved considerably in this ONE year, I suppose, so why not show me how much better you've gotten."  
  
  
Trunks raised one eyebrow. "I never said I was stronger than you..."  
  
  
"You disobeyed my AUTHORITY, what else could that possibly say to me? You argue that you disobeyed me BECAUSE you're 'stronger now'," Vegeta mimicked his son. "Stronger than that monster? Is that what you think?"  
  
  
"...I'm not much weaker than he was...if any..."  
  
  
"You're just the same as you always were, Trunks! Overly confident!"  
  
  
Trunks blinked, his irritation level rising considerably.  
  
  
"Let me tell you something. You are NOT stronger than that monster, even if you ARE stronger than when you were thirteen!"  
  
  
"Well you haven't changed either! I don't even know what I was even thinking when I said our relationship had improved! You STILL do nothing more than yell at me! Why did I ever come to the past to fix this anyway?!" Trunks turned, letting out a breath of frustration and then coughing, grasping at his chest as he did so, and sinking to one knee.  
  
  
"You just don't like me pointing out the obvious! You can't accept that you're not as strong as you THINK!"  
  
  
"I can't accept that YOU always rub my inadequacy in my FACE! FINE! So I'll never live up to your standards! I KNOW that! Why can't you LEAVE ME ALONE about it!"  
  
  
Vegeta's eyes widened a little bit and he paused. It took him a moment to formulate his thoughts into a reply. "What the heck are you even talking about?! This has absolutely NOTHING to do with ANY of that! I don't even HAVE standards for you...!"  
  
  
"Then why the HECK are you yelling at me?! Obviously your expect SOMETHING of me!"  
  
  
"All right, fine! I DO expect something of you! I expect OBEDIENCE! I expect that you KNOW your limits and don't PUSH them! You have ALWAYS pushed them! And then you get yourself into circumstances over your head!"  
  
  
"That's because if I DON'T you call me WEAK or just a CHILD!"  
  
  
"Well what planet are you FROM, Trunks! You ARE a child! Like it or not, life is tough, you ARE a stinkin' CHILD! And I have NOT called you weak! You call YOURSELF weak!"  
  
  
"I am NOT a CHILD, Dad!"  
  
  
"Oh, so you're a full-grown man then? You live out on your own, maybe with a wife or a family? Is that so? Fourteen! My goodness! How the men are getting younger these days!"  
  
  
Trunks eyes narrowed and he let out a yell, powering up to super. "THAT is EXACTLY what I'm talking about! You talk to me like I know NOTHING! Like I AM nothing! You don't give my opinions any weight, you don't listen to anything I have to say, and you shove me in the background!"  
  
  
"You are NOT in the background...!"  
  
  
"What does being a child MEAN, Dad?! THAT's what you make it out to be! Child is the equivalent to WORTHLESS!"  
  
  
"Is THAT what you think?" Vegeta was almost surprised.  
  
  
"That's what YOU think!"  
  
  
"That's NOT what I think! You ARE a child, Trunks, but your are NOT worthless! Why would I even be HERE today if that were so?"  
  
  
"For the adrenaline of a good fight." Trunks shook his head with disgust. "You're all about words, Dad! It may have fooled me to begin with, but your actions speak a lot louder."  
  
  
"You think I'm here for the fight?" Vegeta was almost hurt by the assumption.  
  
  
"You drew it out long enough, didn't you?" Trunks crossed his arms and glared.  
  
  
"And you think I did that to enjoy the fight?" Vegeta's irritation was flaring up again. "I'm not going to deny that the draw of a good fight is inside me...I'm a SAYAIN, but THIS is COMPLETELY different! This didn't hold an OUNCE of excitement for me! I drew this out because I wanted that MONSTER to feel PAIN! And I wanted him to feel PAIN because he wanted to kill YOU! This isn't like the other fights where you got in trouble by jumping into it! THIS was the situation coming after YOU and THAT I will NOT stand for!"  
  
  
"Yeah right," Trunks muttered, trying to remain completely unaffected by his father's words.   
  
  
It only made Vegeta angrier, however and he powered up, letting out a cry of frustration. "Stop expecting perfection of me! I will NEVER be everything that you WANT me to be! I am doing the BEST that I can with the circumstances I've been dealt throughout my life! I'm NO different from YOU in that matter!"  
  
  
Trunks looked at him, raising one eyebrow. "What are you talking about?!" he was exasperated by his own confusion.  
  
  
"I've had to pay my WHOLE LIFE for all the mistakes I've made, but the PRICE of the ones I've made with you is just TOO much to bear! WHY can't you cut me ANY SLACK?! Is it more PUNISHMENT because I wasn't the father I KNOW I should have been?! I KNOW I was no good! I KNOW I should have held you, I WANTED to even and I DIDN'T! I KNOW I should have said from the very start how much I cared about you, but I DIDN'T! So what do you expect of me NOW?! Do you think I can just go back and right all the wrongs?! I TRIED that, remember? It's taken me TOO long to wade through all of my OWN scarring! Only to come out here on the other side to deal with something much WORSE--the scarring I've caused YOU! But do you HAVE to flash those scars in front of my face at ALL times?!" Vegeta finally paused, his eyes flashing and his breathing heavy.  
  
  
Trunks stared at him. He had NO idea what to say.  
  
  
Vegeta shut his eyes and took in a deep breath, calming himself before he opened them again. "You said things were better between us. Maybe you don't remember because it was when you were thirteen, but it's clear to me because in my time it was only a week ago. Is it possible that you've just forgotten? Because for YOU, I've been dead for a year?"  
  
  
Trunks waited, unsure if he was supposed to answer. "I don't know."  
  
  
"What is it you're really so angry about? What am I doing that makes you think so avidly that I don't care about you?"  
  
  
"You yell at me."  
  
  
"So it comes back to that again then. What about?"  
  
  
"Just NOW about not being in the EXACT spot I was supposed to be in. I remember several times about turning the gravity on higher than you thought I should. And when I was twelve there was the whole world invasion thing when I got yelled at BIG time for sneaking along and helping out."  
  
  
"Interesting link between every incident you mention. Can you imagine for just one second that YOU were a father? Think of Marron."  
  
  
"Marron?" Trunks was utterly baffled.  
  
  
"For lack of a better example. Think if Marron were your child..."  
  
  
"That's REALLY out there, Dad..."  
  
  
"Humor me! Now, do you think you'd be slightly angry if she got knocked back a hundred feet by a creature with intentions of destroying her because she hadn't stayed in the spot you'd told her? And what would you do if she was in the gravity room with three times earth's gravity..."  
  
  
"Marron??" Trunks eyes widened a little bit. "But she couldn't do that..."  
  
  
"AND," Vegeta continued, forcing Trunks to hold his tongue, "How would you react if she snuck along when a creature was threatening the earth and you KNEW she would be in the direct path of danger? Oh wait...now what if she also decided SHE was going to FIGHT that creature?"  
  
  
"That's not fair! This comparison is completely different!" Trunks argued.  
  
  
"Why?"  
  
  
"Because she's not sayain in any way and she's a girl!"  
  
  
"Oh, now we're bring sexes into it..."  
  
  
"Ok, forget that part, but she STILL has NO Sayain in her..."  
  
  
"So? Ok, pretend she's half-Sayain, like you, then. Does it change matters? Wait, let's change the gravity up to 200 times earth's, which is the same amount YOU train under, only she's about half as strong as you."  
  
  
"This is ridiculous," Trunks crossed his arms, looking away. He KNEW the answer his father was getting at and the logic was there, he just didn't want to admit it.  
  
  
"You're not a stupid boy, Trunks, I KNOW you wouldn't feel any different or react any different than I did."  
  
  
"But you make me out to be so much weaker than I am."  
  
  
"I do NOT! I only make you out to be weaker than I am! And there's NO denying THAT's true! And there's no SHAME in it either, which is the problem YOU seem to have. I have an obligation, an INWARD one that I've set upon MYSELF to protect you. And it's there because I'm your FATHER. It's an innate instinct to keep you from harm. Sayains protect their offspring and punish them when they act in ways that could harm themselves."  
  
  
"I couldn't have gotten hurt!"  
  
  
"Yes you COULD have! Just now you could have been KILLED! You're lucky you WEREN'T! That creature WANTED to and you just HAPPENED to react quick enough and have just enough strength to ward off the blow enough to survive it! And the gravity! You couldn't even get yourself off the FLOOR that day! You were trying to PROVE something to me and you practically CRUSHED yourself doing so! And I'm not even going to TOUCH when you came along at twelve! I don't even NEED to say anymore about that! You got you BUTT kicked!"  
  
  
Trunks let out a heavy sigh, part from frustration and part from defeat. Both were quiet for a few minutes.  
  
  
"Look, I love you, Trunks, and I think deep down you KNOW that. I may not always show it in the ways you would prefer me to, but it's the truth and I have no problem saying so. I will CONTINUE to yell at you when you do something that I think could cause you harm. You might look at that as me picking on you, but the fact is that if I didn't love you, I wouldn't care and I WOULDN'T be yelling at you over it. I wouldn't waste my time on it. So if I'm yelling at you over something, it's BECAUSE I love you," Vegeta stood for a few seconds, then turned his head, scowling. "Now, catch," he tossed half a senzu bean to his son.  
  
  
Trunks caught it, looked at it, then looked back to Vegeta.  
  
  
"As much as you deserve to live with the pain you've brought on yourself by disobeying me, I can't stand to watch it, so EAT that! And come on," Vegeta lifted off his feet and started flying.  
  
  
Trunks watched him for a few seconds before popping the bean in his mouth and following after his father.  
  
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
A longer chapter...interesting concept in THIS story... Hey...since I don't have a DEFINITE destination for this story, is there anything in particular any readers out there would like to see happen? I'm open for suggestions and if I use one of yours I'll mention your name (pen name of course) at the top of the chapter... 


	11. Plan of The Fathers

Warning: Rather confussing chapter, I think. It's kind short...sorry about that, but I wanted to update especially for Vejitalover. It may be a few days before I get another chapter out though. But still, thanks for reading. This story is flowing like molasses for me right now because I don't known how to answer all the questions I'm raising and the characters are going off on little tangents that THEY make up on their own... I raise my eyebrow, look at them and wonder what the HECK they are doing...they've REALLY developed minds of their owns and I don't know that they're anything like the show either...  
  
  
  
  
Vegeta's eyes opened as he felt the two familiar kis coming back toward the ship. He'd been dozing in the front room, confining the kids to the back room. The baby and the four year old were napping. "It's about time," he grumbled, standing.  
  
  
Future Vegeta and the fourteen year old walked into the ship. Something was differnet between them. The boy seemed rather nervous and wouldn't make eye-contact, while his future self seemed irritated and drained. If he KNEW those looks, and he was pretty sure he did, his future self had done some talking to the boy and now Trunks was sulking. They'd had some sort of emotional argument. This wasn't the draining of any physical fight.  
  
  
"Is everything taken care of?" Vegeta dared to ask, merely for the thought that he may be able to return HOME.  
  
  
Future Vegeta shot a short glare at him, frowning. "The monster is dead, if THAT's what you mean," he stormed into the only empty room.  
  
  
"Don't go in there, the kids are sleeping," Vegeta turned to Trunks as he was about to enter the room the baby and the four year old were occupying.  
  
  
Trunks scowled. "And I suppose the OTHER room is occupied too?"  
  
  
"Yes," Vegeta watched him, rather curious.  
  
  
Trunks threw his arms in the air and rolled his eyes. "Great! That's just great! I can't go ANYWHERE. Everywhere I turn there's people, people, people. I want to be ALONE! Why is that SO hard to do?" he sank into the other chair in the control room.  
  
  
Vegeta watched him, not saying a word.  
  
  
The thirteen year old watched from the door, then stepped slowly inside, and looked from Vegeta to his future self and hesitated before speaking. "Any reason why I can't go home?"  
  
  
Vegeta turned, a little surprised to see him.  
  
  
"...I mean...my house is RIGHT there and my mom is inside...," the thirteen year old continued.  
  
  
Vegeta sighed. He didn't see any reason why not. "Go ahead."  
  
  
Not liking the tension around him at all, the thirteen year old was quick to leave and return to his own house. For that matter, Future Vegeta could do the same. Vegeta got up and went to his room--the one his future self and retreated into. He was laying on the bed, eyes closed. Vegeta pretty well knew what that meant, but at the same time he just wanted all of this to be over with. He wished he ahd never gone back in time in the first place and started this whole cycle.  
  
  
"Any reason why we can't return everyone to their right times and get on with our lives?" he finally mustered the courage to speak.  
  
  
"Trunks blew up the planet that monster came from. That's why he was after him," future Vegeta muttered.  
  
  
Vegeta was a little bit surprised. "Why?"  
  
  
"I don't know," future Vegeta shook his head, exhausted. "I don't know why I bother either. The kid hates our guts and I won't EVER be able to change that. YOU may as well not even try. He's only nine for you and ALREADY it's too late then."  
  
  
Vegeta blinked. As irritated with everything as he was, he wasn't to the point of giving up yet. He couldn't imagine EVER coming to the point of giving up with Trunks.  
  
  
"I'm sick of trying to prove myself to him," he glared at Vegeta. "Why do YOU have to be so stubborn! Why don't you just get your temper under control! You yell at him too much! And you LET him push you away!"  
  
  
Vegeta's eyes widened at this attack. he knew it was true, but it still wasn't something he wanted to hear. "Maybe he's no different from us. Has that ever occured to you? Maybe he keeps what he really feels bottled up and hides it away."  
  
  
"No crap, einstein!"  
  
  
"So why do you expect him to show it then?! He's still young! Did WE show it when WE were that young?"  
  
  
"WE were with Frieza at that time!"  
  
  
"He KNOWS! He's angry and he has reason to be. Why not just let him show his anger and give him time to come around because deep down he KNOWS and one day he'll let that knowledge out. It probably won't be as soon as we want, but things don't EVER go the way we want, now do they? You tell me, you've been around longer... does ANYTHING ever go right?"  
  
  
Future Vegeta stared at his younger self. He was surprised he'd come up with such a logical argument. HE was defending their son better than HE was! So then what was RIGHT? The conclusion he'd come to in the past...the one THIS Vegeta had just argued for? Or his OWN conclusion? He knew. It couldn't be his own. He was just tired and frustrated. A battle between father and son, faught for so very long, could only BE tiring!   
  
  
He let out a long sigh and sat up. "Sayains are NOT quitters. Their battles are faught to the death and never has there been one so worthy of doing so. Today is already filled, but tomorrow, after giving everything new time to sink in, we shall continue this mission."  
  
  
Vegeta watched him stand, not entirely sure of what was on his future mind.  
  
  
Future Vegeta turned to face himself. "I think we should return all Trunks to the times they come from, including our own."  
  
  
"Yours already went back inside," Vegeta interupted.  
  
  
"Very well, as shall I in a moment. Nothing can be solved between us--Trunks and us, I mean--until WE find the answers to this puzzle. Once Trunks is completely out of the picture for the time beings, WE shall travel to the future and find out WHY he destroyed this planet, Kharkun."  
  
  
"Why does it matter?" Vegeta question.  
  
  
Future Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "If I sense it YOU must too..."  
  
  
Vegeta thought for a moment. "Yes, perhaps I do, but I can't imagine Trunks would make a mistake so huge. Why would he detroy a planet for no good reason?"  
  
  
"THAT is what we must find out. I get the feelings it's somehow our own doing. Something that could have been prevented if WE had fixed our behavior in his current life."  
  
  
"But there's no way we've wronged him THAT deeply, is there?" Vegeta felt an uneasy knot in the pit of his stomach.  
  
  
"I don't know. There's no way of knowing unless we go."  
  
  
"Fine. Tomorrow, we return the children to their various times, and find out what's going on," Vegeta agreed.  
  
  
Future Vegeta nodded and walked out of the ship and into his own home.  
  
  
  
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
Sorry again at how odd this story is and how slow it's flowing. 


	12. Psychological Debates

A/N: I want to thank my reviewer and give some credit to one of them (unfortunately I can't remember the name...I forgot who it was...) from which I got the idea for a lot of the stuff that's gone on in this chapter. Thanks for the extra psychology tips. I really enjoy reading other people's ideas and opinions. Sometimes I agree, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I think people jump a little too quickly to conclusions, and sometimes I think they're right on! But, anyway, I like reading all these reviews. Of course... some suggestions, while I liked them, I couldn't use because I just couldn't imagine that Vegeta would EVER no matter HOW logical the idea, do some of these things. This chapter is kinda pushing it, in my opinion, to be honest. I would say they've ALL kinda gone OCC.... But, here's the new chapter. Enjoy!  
  
  
  
  
  
The morning came with many changes. The events of the previous day had changed circumstances considerably and brought a lot of confusion for everyone. The death of the monster had made everything different. It meant that the Vegeta from the fourteen year old's time was still alive. It meant that it had been killed long before the fourteen year old had ever escaped to the past and, therefore, it hadn't come along when he'd gone back in time. Which meant none of the parents of the past had been frozen, which meant that none of the younger Trunks' had need to be taken... And the fourteen year old no longer had need of coming to the past. His mission had been accomplished.  
  
  
But, even with so much resolved, so many changes in the emotional systems both of Trunks and of Vegeta, due to the words spoken so much earlier than they originally were intended...one BIG problem still remained. Vegeta sat in a space ship on the front lawn of his future self with FOUR versions of Trunks STILL tagging along. And with so many changes, THIS didn't add up. It was as if being on board this ship somehow defied the logics of time. Yet, the memories of everyone involved was in constant shift, but on a DAILY basis. It happened over night, after hours of sleep, not during the day, or through a nap. It was all incredibly STRANGE.  
  
  
Today EVERYBODY, except the baby, woke with a headache. Not much had changed for the four year old. The only thing that was different for him was the memory of the monster. Now he only remembered being taken by his father from the future. He was confused and wanted to go home. MOST affected, however, was the oldest of the five Trunks, followed by future Vegeta and HIS Trunks, who were probably tied for second most affected.  
  
  
Fourteen year old Trunks was baffled. Everything his father, from one year in the past, had said to him the day before was still vivid in his mind. Yet, at the same time, he had a whole set of memories between that time and his OWN father in which Vegeta had behaved differently. What had happened yesterday for him, had happened a YEAR ago for HIS father.   
  
  
Vegeta's idea of keeping a record of his current memories each day had proved very helpful. It confirmed what Trunks was suspecting. That the monster dying had, once again, changed reality around. So the past year of memories he had, were almost non-existent. HE had never experienced them! They were the things his THIRTEEN year old counterpart would experience! It was baffling though because they were clear in his mind, as if they really HAD happened to him too.  
  
  
He let out a long sigh. Things were very different. He felt a lot more content then he could ever remember feeling before. It was irritating him though. After all the years he'd felt so rejected and spent so much time trying to gain his father's approval, now that he HAD it...he didn't know what to do with it, but DENY that it really existed, or be angry over the past, which only made him feel guilty because he KNEW his father held much regret in that. Yesterday may have been the first time HE had heard him say so, but in the year he had lost, his younger selves would be hearing it SEVERAL times.  
  
  
When Vegeta woke up, his future self was already sitting in the control room. "Get a move on, we have work to do," he was instructed.  
  
  
Vegeta frowned with irritation. He didn't appreciate being told what to do...by ANYONE. "We'll leave soon enough," he went into the kitchen.  
  
  
"We'll go NOW," future Vegeta glared.  
  
  
Vegeta's temper grew. "Do as YOU wish, but I am going to eat."  
  
  
Future Vegeta growled. "YOU are going to tell me what TIME period to go to!"  
  
  
Nine year old Trunks sat at the doorway watching with excited curiosity. The fourteen year old was just getting up. "What's going on?"  
  
  
"Shhh! Look, they're fighting!" nine year old hushed him.  
  
  
Fourteen year old's eyes widened a little with interest as he crouched behind the younger one, watching. It was only a matter of seconds before the four year old had entered the room as well. Even HE was interested in THIS.  
  
  
"I do NOT take orders from ANYONE, YOU included, and I will take this thing back to the past when I am good and READY!" Vegeta spat.  
  
  
"Oh is THAT so, huh?" Future Vegeta stood up.  
  
  
The four year old's eyes widened a little and he smirked. "Look...Daddy's telling DADDY what to do."  
  
  
"Shh!" the older two hushed him, but it wasn't soon enough. Both Vegetas were looking at them in surprise.  
  
  
All three of the kids stared back for a second and then stood up.  
  
  
"What do you three think you're doing?" Vegeta glared at them.  
  
  
Nine year old folded his arms, smirking. "Watching someone ELSE get the orders barked at them."  
  
  
The other two snickered.  
  
  
"Yeah," fourteen year old took on the same stance as the younger one. "Not so nice on the RECEIVING end is it?"  
  
  
Both Vegeta's eyes narrowed. "Get in your rooms!" they both pointed simultaneously.  
  
  
All three of the Trunkses broke out in laughter.  
  
  
"Look...he hasn't even changed at ALL from your time to when you're thirteen," the fourteen year old said between laughs, clutching his sides.  
  
  
Both Vegetas looked at them with surprise and irritation.  
  
  
"...I know...same reaction as ALWAYS!" nine year old agreed.  
  
  
Suddenly the four year old sat up, pouting. "Does that mean he's ALWAYS going to hate me?"  
  
  
Fourteen year old sat up, still chuckling a little. "He doesn't hate us, he never did. He just doesn't know any other way but to give commands. LISTENING and THINKING about what's at the root of a problem isn't his strong point."  
  
  
"Yeah...if it can't be solved with 'Trunks go to your room!', he ignores it," nine year began laughing again.  
  
  
Fourteen year old snickered, but controlled himself.  
  
  
Both Vegetas were speechless as they watched EVERY version of their child talk in AGREEMENT! And about HIM! The younger Vegeta was first to speak. "That's ENOUGH! Now GO!"  
  
  
The older two boys folded their arms and mimicked their fathers with a smirk. "I do NOT take orders from ANYONE, YOU included." Each of them snickered a little bit.  
  
  
Vegeta's eyes narrowed and he took a step forward, but was stopped by his future self. "Don't...," he eyed the kids with a touch of suspicion, but mostly curiosity. "There's a lesson in this and they're right."  
  
  
"What?" Vegeta turned with agitation. "There most certainly is! That boy has NO respect for his elders! Obviously I have failed in teaching him proper OBEDIENCE!"  
  
  
"Oh, right!" the fourteen year old scowled.  
  
  
Future Vegeta shot him a short glare and then dragged his younger self out the door and onto the front lawn where they could talk with less interference. "If you would just calm that stupid temper of ours and stop to think about this..."  
  
  
"I'm perfectly calm!" Vegeta shouted, clenching his fist.  
  
  
Future Vegeta looked him over and rested his vision on his eyes, blinking a few times.  
  
  
"Fine, so I'm a BIT angry," Vegeta admitted.  
  
  
"Yes, and that's just the problem. We're authoritarians. BOTH of us. I haven't changed much since being you. The only thing that seems to have improved is my control of our temper and my ability to stop and think. Trunks is RIGHT. Neither of us top and think about what's REALLY going on before we give him some kind of order."  
  
  
"That's not true!" Vegeta crossed his arms, scowling and turning his back. He knew it WAS, but he didn't want to admit it.  
  
  
"Listen! YOU went back in time to improve things with him. I KNOW, I was in your time once. Well, it didn't work. Here we are NOW and the only chance of improvement is in YOU. I can do what I can now, but MY Trunks is already thirteen. YOURS is only nine. We can STILL improve his life if only YOU would listen to what I'M saying..."  
  
  
Vegeta let out a long annoyed sigh. "All right, FINE! But you know as well as I do that this temper is probably the biggest contributor."  
  
  
"Yes. And I'm sure it'll take time for you to improve it, so my suggestion in the mean time is that after you loose your temper with him, cool down, and have a chance to think things through, THEN go back and talk to him. It's not a perfect plan, but perhaps you'll get to being good at it so that by the time I come along, I'LL be pretty advanced...," future Vegeta raised one eyebrow. "...That doesn't sound quite right... but you understand what I mean, right?"  
  
  
Vegeta nodded with a frown. "It's a possibility I can attempt, but I don't know that it'll do much good."  
  
  
"Well, barking orders at him certainly isn't doing any! Neither of US take kindly to that, so why should we expect our own flesh and blood to be any different? All that's going to do is make him angry and more abt to disobey."  
  
  
Vegeta sighed. "Agreed."  
  
  
  
  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
I have to warn now (even though half the time I don't REALLY do as I warn...), I may not be updating this quite as frequently for a little while. I've got some other stuff to focus on a little more and this story is sometimes holding me back from it, so I just might not get to this for a little while. (...even though everytime I say that...it ends up being updated JUST as often, if not MORE. but just in CASE....) 


End file.
